politics

Survey highlights corruption

A recent poll shows that Panamanians are just about equally suspect of the public and private sectors when it comes to the issue of corruption.

The poll, commissioned by the Consejo Nacional de Transparencia contra la Corrupción, asked 1,067 Panamanians which entity they felt was most corrupt, the government, labor unions or private businesses.

Each of the three received about the same number of votes, with the government at 37 percent and unions and private businesses splitting the remaining 63 percent equally.

The respondents said they think the main causes of corruption are low wages and a lack of basic moral values. A lack of accountability and lack of prosecution for offenders were two other reasons cited by those surveyed.